Doorcatch



l apt, 3, i935. A w. A. MooNEY DORGATCH v Filed Dec. 18, 1954 Patented Sept. 3, 1935 UNITED STATES DooRcA'rcn William4 A. Mooney, Richmond, Va., assigner of one-half to William K. Mooney, Richmond, Va.

Application December 1S, 1934, Serial No. 758,128

3 Claims. (Cl. 292-.-79)

This invention relates to a new and improved door catch, particularly,A but not exclusively,A

adapted to be employed in connection with screen doors and which will, when .the door is closed, automatically engage to hold the door closed with sufcient forceto prevent accidental opening thereof, but which will automatically unlatch to permit the door to be opened by a sufficient pull.

4The device has the advantage that it can be cheaply stamped or otherwise made, and cheaply assembled.

A further feature of the invention is the provision of a simple device for locking the catch, so that the door cannot be opened from the outside.

whereby the device can be used on either right or left hand doors, by simply attaching it upside down. The device embodies a spring which throws beyond center as the door is closed, causing a pin to engage a hook with suflicient tension to close the door tightly and to hold it closed until suicient force is exerted to pull'the spring beyond center the opposite way.

One form of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which Fig. l is a side elevation of the device, with the door closed; Fig. 2 is a similar view with the door opened; Fig. 3 is an interior elevation showing the parts .in the casing applied to the door frame and with thelatch member locked; Fig. 4 is a section onl the line 4-4 of Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 3, with the parts in different position, and the latch unlocked; Fig. 6 is a partial side elevation of a modified form; Fig. 7 is a section of the parts shown in Fig. 6. In the drawing, 6 indicates the member applied to the door 1. 'I'hls consists of anIangular sheet'metal stamping having a flange 8 permitting its attachment tothe door as by screws 9. The upper part of the member is provided with a hook I8 opposite which is an inclined or cam face II produced by a flange I2, to receive the impact of the latch bolt and to stand the wear. This inclined surface leads to the space behind or within the hook.

The member which is attached to the door jamb I3, on the side adjacent the doorway, consists of a base plate I4 assembled with a casing I5 as by riveted lugs I6, which casing encloses the working parts of the latch. The casing is' attached to the door jamb by screws I1 through A further feature is that of a construction slots I8 permitting a proper adjustment to suit .local conditions. y

The face of the casing I5 contains a curved slot I9 through which extends a pin or bolt 20 provided on its part outside of the casing with 5 a roller sleeve 2|. The pin projects from a rocking orswinging plate 22which is pivoted at 23 on a pivot extending through the front wall of the casing. The slot I9 denes an arc with the pivot 23 as a center, and as the plate swings or 10 rocks the pin 2l) snaps from one end of the slot. to the other and stops against the end of the slot.

A spring 24 is connected in tension between a pin 25 below the pivot of the rocking plate and 15 a stud 26 projecting from an upper corner ofthe rocking plate 22, in such relation that when the plate swings one way the spring passes to one side of the pivot 23, and when swung the other way the spring passes beyond center to the op- 20 posite side of said pivot, as illustrated in Figs. 3 and 5 respectively. 'I'he stud 26 may be extended far enough to work almost or quite in contact with the base plate I4, so that disengagement of the spring from the' stud is pre- 25 vented; and the same is true of the pin 25.

To lock the latch, the lower end of the rocking plate 22 is provided with a notch 21 which may be engaged by a finger piece 28, pivoted on the pin 25 and with the projecting end 29 extending through 30 a slot 30 in the casing. It is obvious that when v the member 28 is swung to engage the notch 21 (in the closed position of the door), the plate 22 will be prevented from swinging and the latch will be locked, as shown in Fig. 3. When the 35 member 28 is swung away from the notch, as shown in Fig. 5, the plate 22 is free to rock and the door can be opened.

In a modied form shown in Figs. 6 and '1 the finger piece 29 and the slot 30 are omitted, and 4o the arm 28a is fixed on the pin 25a which can be turned in a bearing in the casing and is provided with an external 4knob 3| for that purpose. By means of the knob the detent 28a can be swung into or out of locking engagement with the notch 21. X y

In operation, when the door is closed, as illustrated in Fig. 2, the hook I8 passes above the pin 20 and when the cam surface I I strikes the rollen 2| the slam of the door is checked and the 50 l.

latch pin `2|! is lifted into the space behind the hook I0, swinging in the slot I9, and rocking the plate 22 on its pivot 23 and swinging the spring v24 beyond center, as shown in Fig. 5, causing the I roller 2| to bear or press against the inside of the 55 hook I Il and so hold the vdoor closed against ordinary pressure such as the wind. Obviously the pressure can be varied by changing the spring 24.

When the door is to be opened it is pulled with suicient force to cause the hook I to pull the pin 2l) along the slot and rock the plate22 until the spring swings back beyond center and stops when the pin 2li-resumes its original position, y releasing the hook and permitting the door to swing open.

The particular form of` the invention is capable ofvarious modications within the scopepf the invention, and no limitation in this respect is4 pin projecting from the side thereof and through said slot, in position to engage a keeper attached to the door, a' contractile .coiled spring connected at one end to the plate and at the other end to -the casing and exerting pulling tension on the platexand arranged to swing therewith across the pivot of the plate, whereby to pull the plate in either direction beyond center to the extent permitted by the Slot, the position and length of the slot being such that the latch pin is maintained at an angle tothe pivot with respect to the line of Amovement of the keeper, whereby the plate is yieldingly held in both positions solely by the tension of the spring and can be rocked by pull or push on the keeper overcoming such tension.

2. A door latch comprising a casing attachable to a door jamb, said'casing having a curved slot in the upper part of the side wall thereof opposite to the jamb, a rocking plate pivoted in the casing below said slot and having a latch pin projecting laterally from the upper end thereof and through said slot in position to engage a keeper attached to the door, and a contractile coiled spring connected in tension at one end to the upper end of the plate and at the other rend to the casing below the plate and arranged to swing with the plate across the pivot thereof to yieldingly hold the latch pin at either end of the slot.

3. A latch as in claim l, the end of the plate opposite the pin having a notch, and a detent movable to engage in said notch and stop movement of the plate. K

WILLIAM A. MOONEY.l 

